It takes Money to Make Money

We always hear that it takes money to make money right? Well here is a perfect example, and another reason not to spend your money on CRAP. Let me just clarify the last point. There is a certain percentage of our population who can buy CRAP, but if you are not living on interest from investments, if you have any credit card balances that are not going to be paid off in the next 30 days, and if you are working a 9 to 5 then you are not a part of that small percentage.


Why? How come you can't buy CRAP? Because when opportunity knocks you have to be ready to greet it at the door, welcome it with open arms! Most of the time that means you need two things: Money and knowledge. You should be getting more and more knowledge everyday because it's FREE. Reading this blog is knowledge, the internet if full of free knowledge, so stock up. Money on the other hand is in short supply. I think when Christmas rolls around we forget what short supply really means. Just look at your credit card notice, these bastards are jacking your rate up to 29.99%! That’s short supply. It’s easier for me to date Halle Berry then it will be to get a business loan for the next two years so that means your own cash is extremely valuable right now.

Here is a great example why:
As you well know, I run a string of small businesses. Wash and Roll has been on it's last leg, a victim of local economy (located in Southfield, MI) and a victim of the recession. We have little to no operating capital. At the end of every month our account balance is zero to negative.

Well things that we have done last year are starting to pay off (something to remember: what you do today affects everyday of the rest of your life). So we recently got a contract, A huge contract by our standards. It’s a trucking company with enough rigs where I have to hire another person. Yeah baby!! We were and are elated. Everyone is excited, this is something that we have been waiting for and working for.

After the bottles are popped and the joy dies down I have to figure out how much will this new contract cost me?

That’s a weird question, but if you own a small business you know exactly why I ask this. Here’s why: The job is going to pay roughly $450 per week. Nice!! But here’s the rub, the job costs me $275 (in labor and supplies, so I have to spend $1100 every month. Plus we need a specialty piece of equipment that will cost about $600. So after the first month I'm out $1700.

But wait there’s more,

I send them the first monthly bill after 4 weeks of work, but they have net 60 Payment terms. That means that they pay 60 days after they receive the invoice. Ouch!! Translation: $1100 for two more months plus another $550 just in case the check is late.

So when I get the call I’m happy, but in the back of my mind I know that I’m out $4500 bucks – or $4450 to be exact! Money that I won’t see back for some time. I will get it back, but at the rate of $175 per week starting in 90 days.

Double Ouch! So the moral of the story is I have the $4500 bucks. Why? because I did’t go to Vegas with my boys, Why? Because I didn’t spend more then $200 on Christmas gifts, Why? Because that is how I roll!!!">You tell me what's better, opening the door when opportunity knocks or that $4000 HD 48inch HDTV with Dolby Digital surround sound?

On 2nd thought, Don't answer that!, The thought just makes my old school 17 inch feel that much smaller.

Hey if the TV is too loud, I might not hear opportunity knocking on the door!!

All in for 2010. What are we waiting for!!
-MJL

Resolution Talk 2010!!

Let’s talk about resolutions. If you read this blog, then you know we are here, not only to get rich but to be the best "us" we can be.

Getting rich is not about the money you make, but about what it makes of you. It's about the person that you evolve into as a result of the journey to becoming rich. Society is our worse enemy for self improving and becoming this person, becoming the best “us”. We are cuddled and coddled into thinking that average is OK. Below average is something society laughs at and doesn't accept, but average is OK for some reason.


I have given this many hours of thought. Why is average OK. Why? Why don't your friends push you to excel, why after a certain age your parents, who pushed you everyday as a kid, all of a sudden become satisfied with you being average. This is a very complex issue, here is my take on the subject:

JEALOUSY
Part of it is jealousy. We all feel it at times. We all feel a certain pang when someone hits the number and you don't, when someone wins at the Casino and you lose, when someone gets a promotion, or a new car and it appears your life is standing still. I use that pang as fuel for me to work harder and become more focused. Others use it for hate & envy resulting in jealousy. If you are on your way to being great, and you know it.....I mean really really know it, then you have no problem with pushing other people to be great. These are the people that you should be surrounding yourself with. Imagine if you were surrounded by people who were over achievers and pushed you to over achieve. How great could you become? Freshman year in Engineering, when I was surrounded by people getting D’s and F’s, my C+ was great. Junior year all of the underachievers dropped out of Engineering and now my C+ was surrounded by B+ and A’s. Time to step up my game.

TOO SENSITIVE
The second reason is that generally we are a society of over sensitive wimps. It's apparent in my generation and the generations that follow. When we're being raised as kids, we are taught that it's not if you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Why play if you are not playing to win? We learn that getting a participation trophy is a reason to celebrate. I think that needs to be taught to small children, but as we get older we should learn to try and fail. We should learn that failure is real, it’s tastes terrible and you can work hard and still fail, but the harder we work, the less likely we are to fail. When we enter high school we don't want to do anything that we might fail at, so we don't try.

A great example of this is "The Biggest Loser". This show is remarkable for a few different reasons. First of all, these people lose a ridiculous amount of weight in a short period of time. Some people actually lose over 40% of their weight. The physical transformation that they go through is incredible. If you would have talked to these people before they went on show, they would have told you that they CAN'T LOSE THE WEIGHT. You might even be convinced yourself that they can't lose the weight. They are big boned, or predisposed to genetically being fat are excuses that would seem to be very real; but they actually lose it. They get muscle tone and almost turn into different people.

At the end of the show they go from being morbidly obese, to average. That is no small accomplishment, but after the show, very few people improve. A matter of fact, most of them get worse. Here is my point......When these people get home, I bet there is no one pushing them to be RIPPED. Pushing them to be able to get into a bikini and be hot. Who would dare do that? That would be mean, Come’ on they just lost 100 lbs last year. Instead we look at them and say, "Congratulations, for being slightly chunky". “Congratulations for being too chunky to wear a bikini on the beach”. “Congratulations dude, for not being able to take your shirt off in front of women and feel good about yourself” Yeah, you are not going to die, but you are still not at your best. You are king at fat camp, but when you are in the real world, you still can’t take your shirt off. Just because you came a long way doesn't mean you are at your best and you don’t have the right to stop trying and pushing yourself.

Neither of my parents graduated high school so by me graduating college appears to be a great accomplishment; but guess what? That's just average. My sister could have stopped at graduating college because after that, no one pushed her. Instead she decided to get her J.D. and practice law; and I guarantee she won't stop there.
As this applies to resolutions; you will hear all this babble about not setting yourself up for failure. Make resolutions that you can accomplish so you can feel good. @#$ that! Make resolutions that are going to force you to work your a$$ off to accomplish your goal. Make resolutions that are in line with your vision of success, resolutions that will make you great. Not average, but great.

Weak Resolution: To lose 15 lbs,
Strong resolution: To lose 25 lbs and be ripped. To wear a bikini and look extra hot on the beach. To look hotter then my friend Sarah this summer on the beach.

Weak Resolution: To do more at work
Strong Resolution: To work the hardest at work. To work harder then anyone who's ever hired in at that job. To answer and read every email before I go home everyday. To get in an hour earlier every day.

Weak Resolution: To spend more time with the family,
Strong Resolution: To be home in time for dinner every night even if it means going back to the office after dinner. To Plan vacations where the kids can learn; coach my kids soccer team, take ball room dancing classes with my wife.

Don't be average man, or average girl be SUPERMAN and SUPERGIRL!!
2010 - All in. Game on!
Get inspired.
-MJL

FEAR - HAPPINESS AND P.W.L.T.R.

People have become so used to not being happy that they barely even notice it. (I'm guilty of this as well). It's like living next to a train track or an airport. After awhile you don't even notice the sound how loud the trains and planes are. It takes a visitor to come and point it out to you. "How the hell do you live with all that noise?" Your reply is, "It's not that bad".

Not to say that your or my life is miserable, but fear can prevent it from being all that it can be. We are bioligically susceptible to fear. This is the greatest enemy of true happiness. Fear has many crippling disguises. It surfaces as anger, pessimism depression, feelings of isolation, etc..

When we were children we didn't care about fear because the price of failure wasn't high at all. We weren't called a loser, we just didn't win. As we got older, society begin to judge our failures. Or better yet, we begin to LET society judge our failures. If you didn't make the basketball team, or football team then you would have to face all your friends. That's the beginning of fear starting to get a grip on your life. It was easier not to try out for the team and be cool, rather then try out and not make it and be embarassed. Yep, that was my personal experience. I was still cool and funny, no one knew that I couldn't play football - in fact I didn't even know if I could play or not. Because I never played before, it was too risky to my image to try out and not make it. So I played it safe. Who knows, I could have been a professional running back. If you were a naturally gifted athlete you tried out because the risk of failure is small. Who's more successful the gifted quarterback, or the not so gifted guy who works hard, gets cut and then comes back next year and makes the team? let's not forget, Michael Jordan got cut from his high school team.

So I think it's important that we conquer our fear, without doing that, we are not getting the best out of life that we can. True happiness will continue to elude us.

OK - Example time.
I have been burnt pretty bad in my past relationships. Now I can easily be jaded by this, and have that affect me in my future relationships or I can have no fear and go for it. Being crippled by fear, you play little games. "I'm not going to call her and show her that I like her because that's giving her the upper hand" That's the game you play when you're 16. Then she doesn't call you, and the next thing you know you both think that you are not into each other. When you are an adult and in control of your fears, you know the relationship that you would like to have and you know that it doesn't stand a chance without you giving 100%, because in your vision of a perfect relationship your mate is giving back 100%. You can't expect to recieve what you don't put out. This doesn't mean that it won't fail. Realistically you can give 100% and it still not work out, you can not control the other person, but if you give 80% because of the fear of putting yourself and your feelings at risk, and it doesn't work out, you should blame only yourself because you could have given 20% more and now it's too late. Remeber if you can dream it, then it's conceptually possible.

That scenario goes with anything. If you don't try and fail you won't succeed. We are missing out on great opportunities because we are scared. Scared of trying and feeling stupid - That is society holding you down. You should only feel stupid if you don't try. I mean really, we are adults, can anyone really make you feel stupid if you don't let them.

In short I'm not telling you to be reckless. Not at all. Listen to your fears. Don't quit your job tomorrow and start a glow in the dark shoelace factory. Don't walk up to the girl you have a crush on and propose, don't sign up for the Mr. Universe contest next month but take your time. Do your homework and work hard. Trust your instincts. God put them there for a reason. If you are dating your future "dream guy or girl" but he appears shady, trust yourself - dont' go signing over $100,000.00 checks ala Nora Walker (for the Brother's and Sister's fans out there).

You know you are moving in the right direction because you will start to feel like a kid again. Trust me. That's how you know you are headed towards happiness and conquering your fears. That's natural. When you're a kid your spirits and dreams are unbridled and unbroken. Your life is led by these spirits rather then controlled by your fears and judgements. As you become more successful, or as you see your dreams becoming a reality these spirits become stronger. When you have 4 steps mapped out to accomplish your goal and you reach the first one you know your goal is achievable. You get the interview for your dream job, you land a certain account for your business, or you meet someone that only existed in previously in your mind. That is fuel for steps 2,3,&4.

You can’t really put a time limit on when you will reach your goals, but what I know for sure is the harder you work the quicker success will come or the quicker failure will come. You might need 3 failures, but after each you Plan again, Work, learn, tweak and repeat. Plan-Work-Learn-Tweak and Repeat. Give 100% to all those steps.
1. Plan with intelligence,
2. Work with dillegence,
3. Learn with curiousity,
4. Tweak with stragtical prowess and
5. Repeat like failure is no option.
P.W.L.T.R
I like that - Hey Jim Rohn's not he only one who can make stuff up!!

Do remember: Nothing can resist a man (or woman) who will place even his existence on his purpose.

Translation: If you are not fearful, and you are willing to sacrifice it all, nothing can resist your enevitable path to success.



-MJL